Arunachal police arrest three in Rs 17 crore PMGSY bill fraud case

Naharlagun Police have arrested three people in connection with an alleged multi-crore fraud involving a Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) road project and a fake letter claiming that a contractor’s pending bill of more than Rs 17 crore had been cleared.

The accused have been identified as Toluk Lombi, Dubi Ete and Rajesh Kumar Singh. A case was registered at Naharlagun Police Station last year under Sections 318(4) and 35 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to Naharlagun Superintendent of Police Nyelam Nega, the case followed a complaint from a contractor who alleged that the accused demanded Rs 2.40 crore in exchange for helping secure the release of his pending payment for a PMGSY project.

The accused allegedly told the contractor that Singh had close links with officials at the Centre and could use his influence to get the payment released.

The contractor was later handed a letter purportedly confirming clearance of the outstanding bill. However, when he approached the Chief Engineer’s office of the Rural Works Department (RWD), he allegedly discovered that the document was fake.

Singh subsequently moved court seeking quashing of the FIR. The court rejected his plea on August 13, allowing the police investigation to continue.

A police team travelled to Guwahati and arrested Singh on August 25. He was later remanded to six days in police custody, Nega said.

Police are now investigating the alleged fraud further and examining the roles of all three accused.

Nega also cautioned contractors and others working on government projects against people claiming to have political or official connections and demanding money to facilitate payments or government work. He advised people to verify such claims directly with the concerned department before making any payment.